General Manager | Wings Event Center

About the Role

The General Manager is the visionary leader responsible for driving the overall success, culture, and performance of a premier event and entertainment destination. This role provides strategic and operational leadership for a large-scale, multi-use venue designed to deliver exceptional guest experiences, community engagement, and financial performance. The General Manager leads with a hospitality-first mindset while balancing business growth, operational excellence, team development, and long-term strategic planning. This individual serves as the face of the venue—building strong relationships with guests, employees, partners, sponsors, promoters, and the community.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for all day-to-day operations of the Event Center, ensuring a seamless, high-quality guest and event experience.
• Lead a complex, high-volume entertainment venue that includes sporting events, concerts, community events, premium hospitality offerings, sponsorships, and special programming.
• Develop annual business plans, performance objectives, and operational priorities aligned with organizational goals.
• Ensure operational readiness for a new facility launch, including staffing, training, culture-building, programming, and guest experience standards.
• Oversee venue scheduling, event planning coordination, staffing strategy, and facility utilization to maximize revenue opportunities.
• Build, inspire, and lead a high-performing leadership team that fosters accountability, engagement, and service excellence.
• Create a culture grounded in professionalism, calm leadership, teamwork, and guest-focused decision making.
• Provide visible, steady leadership during high-pressure events and complex operational situations.
• Coach, mentor, and develop leaders and staff to create a strong talent pipeline and long-term organizational growth.
• Set clear expectations, performance standards, and accountability measures across all departments.
• Drive financial performance through strategic programming, sponsorships, partnerships, ticket sales, premium experiences, and diversified revenue streams.
• Collaborate with marketing, sales, and business development teams to position the Event Center as a premier destination for entertainment and community engagement.
• Maximize advertising inventory, sponsorship revenue, and corporate partnerships to support venue growth.
• Identify emerging trends, programming opportunities, and competitive advantages to strengthen market presence.
• Own venue financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, revenue targets, labor management, and expense control.
• Develop and manage operating budgets that support sustainable growth and profitability.
• Ensure fiscal responsibility through strategic planning, reporting, and performance tracking.
• Build strong relationships with local organizations, civic leaders, media outlets, sponsors, and community stakeholders.
• Represent the venue at public events, meetings, speaking engagements, and networking opportunities.
• Increase community awareness and strengthen the venue’s reputation through engagement, partnerships, and outreach.

Key Outcomes

• Deliver an exceptional guest experience across all events and venue operations.
• Achieve annual revenue, profitability, attendance, and sponsorship goals.
• Build a strong leadership culture focused on accountability, service, and operational excellence.
• Successfully launch and scale operations for a new, expanded Event Center.
• Drive employee engagement, retention, and team performance.
• Establish the venue as a premier regional destination for entertainment, sports, hospitality, and community experiences.
• Maintain strong relationships with partners, sponsors, promoters, and industry stakeholders.
• Ensure operational excellence through effective planning, staffing, communication, and execution.
• Lead strategic planning efforts that support long-term venue growth and sustainability.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Sports Management, Entertainment Management, Marketing, or related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5–8 years of progressive leadership experience in event venues, sports and entertainment, hospitality, live events, or large-scale operations.
• Proven success leading complex, multi-functional teams in a high-volume guest-facing environment.
• Experience opening, scaling, or transforming a venue, entertainment property, or hospitality operation strongly preferred.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, forecasting, and operational performance.
• Executive presence with the ability to lead confidently, communicate clearly, and inspire trust.
• Calm, steady decision-maker who performs effectively in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, scheduling systems, reporting tools, and venue/event software platforms.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and event-based schedules.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods during events and operations.
• Ability to lift up to 40 pounds occasionally.